Men Who Knit Promoting and inspiring the art of knitting amongst men.

Hi guys,

I recently finished a couple of projects that I wanted to share. One took me about 4 months and the other took less than 2 weeks.

Lace Stole:
This was my first lace project, and I really enjoyed it. The pattern is Spring Leaves, adapted from Gail/Nightsong – both available on ravelry. It was also my first time doing a provisional cast on. You cast on with scrap yarn in the center and work until it’s half as long as you want. Then you pick out the scrap yarn, opening up live stitches and work the other half. This allows the leaf pattern to move symmetrically out from the center. I used mini mochi yarn on size 7 (US) needles. Initially, I wasn’t crazy about how the stripes were showing up, but after blocking, the lace work became more of the focal point and stripes weren’t as dominant. There are a couple of pictures of the blocking in progress. I was really happy to present it to my friend Candace on Easter.

Baby Cardigan:
One ball of Plymouth Bear Hugs Yarn comes with the pattern, two buttons and enough yarn to make the smallest size. The pattern is written for knitting flat and seaming everything, but I decided to do as much in one piece as I could. I worked the sleeves in the round, and cast on both fronts and the back around the waist band and worked back and forth until I had to divide for the sleeve openings. I used the 3-needle bind-off at the shoulders. Interestingly, the pattern directs you to knit the button band in three separate stages, but I decided to make it continuous. It's a very quick knit. And, completely out of character for me, it’s done well before the baby is born!

Best to you all,
Ray